


lost honor

by thorkidumpster



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Desperate times call for desperate measures, Honor, Intersex Jotunn (Marvel), Jotunn Loki (Marvel), M/M, Started as a drabble, War, and you know how this goes
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-07
Updated: 2019-05-07
Packaged: 2020-02-27 14:33:08
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 759
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18741004
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thorkidumpster/pseuds/thorkidumpster
Summary: Asgard, led by Queen Hela, rampages across the realms, slaughtering and conquering and drenching Yggdrasil in blood. Her assault on Jotunheim was fended off, but only barely -- now Loki, newly crowned king, finds himself the captor of Hela's brother, Prince-General of the Asgardian army and perhaps Loki's only chance to stop the war on his world.





	lost honor

**Author's Note:**

> this was originally a drabble based on blizzard's "lost honor" cinematic but... It Has Grown in my head so lol. currently no archive warnings apply, but that might change later and will be updated duly

 

* * *

 

The stones of the jail floor are worn down from the countless parades of prisoners and guards. Joining their footsteps now was a king — though a king in name only.

Loki ascended to the throne six months ago when his father fell in battle against the Asgardian army. And Loki was barely past his manhood, he was no fool — he knew the army and its generals only followed him through loyalty to his bloodline, not from loyalty to Loki, King of Jotunheim. He needs to prove himself to his people, prove that he is capable of ruling.

Lest their eyes and loyalty wander to another in the royal bloodline…

Loki stops before a lone cell, bathed in moonlight from the thin, iron grate above. A cruel reminder of freedom.

He scans the cell, but the thin cot is empty. His heart rate accelerates — has the prisoner escaped? — but there! Sitting in the shadows, eyes closed, breathing as though he were mediating, is Thor. Breath like smoke slips from his mouth. How fragile these Asgardians are. How fragile and fierce.

The fallen prince of Asgard cracks open his eyes in acknowledgment of Loki’s presence. The moonlight accentuates the silver threading in his rough beard, but softens the scars on his face, his arms, probably his whole body. “Boy-King,” he mutters, not even giving Loki the honor of a head dip.

Loki steels himself. “Prince-General Thor.”

“Am I?” Thor says. “I cannot imagine my sister agrees with that title.” Not any longer, surely, since her brother has allowed himself the humiliation of being captured rather than sacrificing himself in glorious battle, as was their way.

The keys rattle in Loki’s hand, betraying his nerves. He opens the door to the cell, then slips in. The door slams closed behind him, trapping him in with a man that has tried to slaughter his people and family.

“Why did you spare me?”

Thor just stares.

“At the battle of Utguard. You could have killed me, you had me at your mercy.” Loki tastes bile on his tongue at the memory, the great shadow of Thor looming over him, hammer raised. He had seen death in that moment, but then... then Thor had lowered his hammer, giving the opportunity for Loki's Honor Guard to pounce. “Why didn’t you kill me?”

Thor snorts. “Could kill you now.”

“I had you imprisoned because I believed there was some honor in you —“ _Honor, boy?_ Laufey whispers sickly in his head, _honor is a hollow sentiment to Asgardians…_ “— was I wrong?” Thor doesn’t answer and angry runs molten silver through his veins. “Do you want more innocents to suffer? For Asgard—“

“I have given everything for Asgard!” Thor explores, rising to his feet in a swiftness that belays his age but speaks of his countless years on the battleground. “I bled for my realm, Jotun! Fought for it, killed for it, and _Hela is destroying it!_ ”

Thor stalks closer, closer, until Loki is pressed against the wall of the cell, breath caught in his chest. “What I want—“ Thor slams his fist into the wall next to Loki head and leans in until Loki can feel the Aesir's steaming breath on his face. “Is my Asgard back.”

Panicked, Loki tries to call ice to him, but the elemental runes surrounding the prison prevents him. They keep him safe from Thor’s thunder, but weak to a hand around his throat. For a moment they stand, Thor’s frozen breath billowing across Loki’s face, reeking of his last piss-poor meal.

“Tell me why,” Loki says, quiet, “you spared my life.”

Thor stares at him, blue eyes flicking back and forth between Loki’s red ones, as though he were looking for something hidden there. “Because,” Thor replies heavily, pulling himself away, “I had hoped you would stop her.”

Pinpricks of guilt stab Loki in a thousand different places. Death from a thousand cuts. Death to a thousand Jotun, cleaved down by the cruel queen of Asgard who fashioned herself as a goddess of death.

“…I can’t,” Loki admits at long last. Those words that haunt him during war meetings and general briefings and speeches to the soldiers. Those that look up to him while weary, aching eyes to inspire them, to lead them, to save them. “I can’t stop her.”

Loki turns and opens the cell door, fingers grazing the cold metal. “Not alone,” he says, walking past the threshold, leaving the door wide open behind him.

An invitation. A gamble. Perhaps, even, Loki’s eventual death, but Thor… is his only hope.

* * *

 

 


End file.
